Dishwasher help?

emrldsky

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My husband and I just bought our first home in July. (YAY!)

But we're having issues with our dishwasher. (BOO!) We didn't get a home warranty, because it just didn't seem financially ideal. And, the previous owners are now in China.

Anyway, so when the dishwasher goes through a cycle, it doesn't drain. However, if I were to wait until the cycle is done, and then rotate the dial to the middle of a cycle, it will drain just fine. I'm THINKING it's a cycle timing issue, because it can and will drain, just not when it's supposed to.

I believe it's original to the home (2000), and not sure how old the model was at the time it was installed.

Would it be best to have someone come out to try and fix it, or just get a new one?
 

sk_pacer

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Probably the timer is shot - some of the contacts are not working properly. As you have already discovered, you CAN babysit it through the cycle but that is an overrated pasttime. Get someone in, make sure you give them the make and model of the dishwasher and tell them you suspect a timer issue. Don't just say it isn't draining, tell him what you told us. And don't do like one woman did to me when I asked her what kind of dishwasher it was - she said white, so I assumed White-Westinghouse (low end builder specials) and was prepared for that......it was a Kenmore, an extremely elderly one at that, too old to get parts for.
 

mrblanche

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It will cost you around $60 for a timer. You may be able to pick one up on e-bay or something.

However, if your dishwasher is almost 10 years old, you might want to get a new one, which will have a warranty and which will be more energy-efficient than the one you have now.
 
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emrldsky

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Originally Posted by sk_pacer

Probably the timer is shot - some of the contacts are not working properly. As you have already discovered, you CAN babysit it through the cycle but that is an overrated pasttime. Get someone in, make sure you give them the make and model of the dishwasher and tell them you suspect a timer issue. Don't just say it isn't draining, tell him what you told us. And don't do like one woman did to me when I asked her what kind of dishwasher it was - she said white, so I assumed White-Westinghouse (low end builder specials) and was prepared for that......it was a Kenmore, an extremely elderly one at that, too old to get parts for.
I'll have to see if I can find out more other than the fact that it's Whirlpool. I couldn't tell you the model number or anything.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

It will cost you around $60 for a timer. You may be able to pick one up on e-bay or something.

However, if you dishwasher is almost 10 years old, you might want to get a new one, which will have a warranty and which will be more energy-efficient than the one you have now.
I was thinking the same thing, but I'd have to convince the hubs to go that route.

We know, eventually, we'll need to replace all our appliances, we're just hoping that we can put it off for a bit.
 

natalie_ca

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I had some problems with my Whirlpool dishwasher. Turns out that I had accidentally pulled off the dial knob and when I put it back I didn't put it on properly so the cycles were all mixed up. Basically what I saw on the dial wasn't what was actually being dialed up, if you understand what I'm trying to explain.

It's quite possible that your dial was off and reapplied in a different position to what it should actually be.
 

sk_pacer

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There will be a label somewhere, probably one inside the kick plate and one where you can't see and possibly another somewhere on the door. If there is one on the inside of the door, it will be an etched plate with the model number, serial number (long) and other bits of info that say 100V XXamp, and other cryptic things. Been a while since I discombobulated and recombobulated a dishwasher. I am guessing this is a built in?? Portable models have lots of ID labels and plates, inclluding on the back and along the side, near the bottom. If you find the plate, you may have to try a rubbing to read it unless you are really good reading upside down, or hanging from the ceiling by the toes. Anyway, look where the door seal meets the door on the bottom and HOPE it is right side up for reading.
 

sandtigress

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My dishwasher died about a year ago - it completely stopped draining. I called Sears, since it was a Kenmore washer, and they gave me the option of purchasing a service warranty on the washer before they came in. It was around $200, but completely covered the cost of fixing the dishwasher, or if it could not be fixed, replacing it with a brand new one.

After talking to some people, my problem was probably with the washer's motor, which would have cost about that much to replace, so I went ahead and purchased the warranty. Thanks to that, I got a brand new dishwasher as well as the cost of the repairman coming out, looking at it, deciding it could not be fixed, ordering me a new one, and coming out and installing it. The washer I ended up getting is nicer than my old one too, though still on the lower end of dishwashers. More than adequate for me though!

Dealing with Sears themselves was a bit of a pain, but in the end, I think I got a pretty good deal out of it all. Maybe something like that can work out for you?
 
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emrldsky

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I had some problems with my Whirlpool dishwasher. Turns out that I had accidentally pulled off the dial knob and when I put it back I didn't put it on properly so the cycles were all mixed up. Basically what I saw on the dial wasn't what was actually being dialed up, if you understand what I'm trying to explain.

It's quite possible that your dial was off and reapplied in a different position to what it should actually be.
I hear ya. I'll try that out after it's done with this cycle (DH started the dishwasher when we got home from work).

Originally Posted by sk_pacer

There will be a label somewhere, probably one inside the kick plate and one where you can't see and possibly another somewhere on the door. If there is one on the inside of the door, it will be an etched plate with the model number, serial number (long) and other bits of info that say 100V XXamp, and other cryptic things. Been a while since I discombobulated and recombobulated a dishwasher. I am guessing this is a built in?? Portable models have lots of ID labels and plates, inclluding on the back and along the side, near the bottom. If you find the plate, you may have to try a rubbing to read it unless you are really good reading upside down, or hanging from the ceiling by the toes. Anyway, look where the door seal meets the door on the bottom and HOPE it is right side up for reading.
Got it. It's on the left-side of the machine, inside, but not on the door. I'm trying to find some more information on it.

Originally Posted by Sandtigress

My dishwasher died about a year ago - it completely stopped draining. I called Sears, since it was a Kenmore washer, and they gave me the option of purchasing a service warranty on the washer before they came in. It was around $200, but completely covered the cost of fixing the dishwasher, or if it could not be fixed, replacing it with a brand new one.

After talking to some people, my problem was probably with the washer's motor, which would have cost about that much to replace, so I went ahead and purchased the warranty. Thanks to that, I got a brand new dishwasher as well as the cost of the repairman coming out, looking at it, deciding it could not be fixed, ordering me a new one, and coming out and installing it. The washer I ended up getting is nicer than my old one too, though still on the lower end of dishwashers. More than adequate for me though!

Dealing with Sears themselves was a bit of a pain, but in the end, I think I got a pretty good deal out of it all. Maybe something like that can work out for you?
Well, it's not quite dead and I'm not sure Sears would think of offering a warranty on a machine that may or may not have been purchased from them.


I'm sure we'll figure something out if we have to replace it. It isn't as if we don't have any emergency fund for things like that, but we really really hate dipping into if we can't help it.
 
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